The rule, implemented by the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) and Royal and Ancient Golf Club (RA), means that from the start of 2010 the U-shaped grooves on wedges will be banned in favor of V-shaped grooves, with the intention of rewarding accurate driving over distance hitting.
The index found a 12 percent improvement in new car fuel economy, which is reflective of wholesale abandonment of V-8-powered SUVs and trucks in favor of four-cylinder compacts.
Additionally, initial sales data show that C-Max is stealing hybrid sales away from other brands at an impressive clip: Its conquest rate is about 64 percent, with Prius and the Honda CR-V ranking as the top nameplates abandoned by customers in favor of C-Max.